PDF file
After a strong showing against highly-rated Boston College this past weekend at Cheel Arena to open the 2009-10 campaign, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team will look to continue its momentum with another weekend series at home against a pair of Hockey East foes.
Guided by co-head coaches Shannon and Matt Desrosiers, the Golden Knights will host Providence College on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and then faceoff against the University of Connecticut on Saturday in a 3:00 p.m. game.
Team and individual praise came Clarkson’s way this week after the Knights posted a win and a tie against Boston College, which entered the series ranked 6th in the nation. The Green and Gold, led by senior captain Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT) and senior assistant captain Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT), broke into the Top 10 of the USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll with a seventh-place ranking.
Two Clarkson standouts also earned accolades. Junior Melissa Waldie (Newmarket, ONT) was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Week, while classmate Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY) was honored as the conference’s Goaltender of the Week. Waldie led a balanced offensive effort by the Golden Knights over the weekend with two goals as Clarkson posted a 5-1 win and a 1-1 tie against BC. Waldie scored Clarkson’s fourth goal in Friday’s victory, and then tallied on the power play for the Knights’ lone goal in Saturday’s tie. Dahm was in top form against the Eagles, holding the Hockey East powerhouse to just one goal in each game. Through 125 minutes, she posted a .947 save percentage and a 0.96 goals against average. Dahm made 14 saves in Friday’s win and posted 22 stops in Saturday’s tie.
Dominique Thibault (L’Original, ONT), a senior transfer from UConn, tallied a goal and two assists in her opening weekend as a Golden Knight to lead the Green and Gold in scoring. Waldie, Selina and sophomore Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE), all recorded two points. Senior Genevieve Lavoie (Delson, QUE), who tallied the Knights’ first goal of the season, is on the verge of joining Clarkson’s coveted century club with 99 career points on 43 goals and 56 assists through 111 games.
Sophomore Danielle Boudreau (Whitby, ONT), who plays a key role as a forward/defenseman, also scored against Boston College.
Providence, guided by head coach Bob Deraney, began the season with a sweep of the University of Maine at Schneider Arena over the weekend. On Friday, the Friars shutout the Black Bears 4-0, and then eked out a 2-1 victory on Saturday. Last year, Providence posted a 17-16-3 overall record and tied for fourth place in the Hockey East standings along with UConn with a 12-8-1 conference mark.
Connecticut, which plays at St. Lawrence on Friday, enters the North Country with a 0-1-1 mark after a tough weekend series at third-ranked University of New Hampshire. Last Friday, the Huskies, guided by head coach Heather Linstad, lost 3-1 to Wildcats at the Whittemore Center in Durham, NH, but came back with a 1-1 tie on Saturday. UConn went 19-12-4 overall last year.
Clarkson and Providence have played just twice with the Golden Knights holding a slight 1-0-1 advantage. The Last time the two teams played, Clarkson gained 4-2 victory in Potsdam on November 6, 2005. Exactly one year before the Knights and Friars met for the first time, battling to a 3-3 tie in Providence.
Saturday’s game will be the first-ever meeting between Clarkson and the University of Connecticut.
